ETIQUETTE IX THE SADDLE. 115 



It is well never to canter a carriage-horse unless you 

 know him well, and are sure he will not thus be render- 

 ed unsteady in harness, and in like manner you should 

 be considerate of your escort or companions, and not 

 urge their horses beyond their proper gait. A good 

 way to do, if you are much the best mounted of the 

 party, is now and then, when the road is suitable, to 

 gallop on and return again. It looks well to see a lady 

 cantering beside a gentleman who is trotting; but the 

 reverse never seems quite good form, and especially 

 when it is evident that the gentleman's horse is gallop- 

 ing because he has been pushed off his legs. 



A borrowed horse is an article which is looked upon 

 with very different eyes by the elderly people who gen- 

 erally are the lenders, and the youthful riders that are 

 usually the borrowers, and many a man, and perhaps 

 many a woman too, remembers with shame and regret 

 how little were appreciated or deserved the favors of 

 this sort received in youthful days. A borrowed horse 

 should be scrupulously ridden exactly as the owner 

 wishes, and moreover the owner's desires ought to be 

 respectfully ascertained in advance. 



For cross-country riding the stirrups should be taken 

 up at least one hole, and the same is advisable in mount- 

 ing a strange horse. Another safe precaution, in the 

 latter case, is a running martingale, which will prevent 

 him from throwing up- his head, as some horses have 

 the habit of doing, to the great annoyance of the rider. 



